


winter comes even in august

by fearlesswind



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Artist Keith (Voltron), Barakamon AU, Bilingual Lance (Voltron), Depressed Keith (Voltron), Hate to Love, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 17:16:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fearlesswind/pseuds/fearlesswind
Summary: After the cold winter endsUntil spring decides to come againUntil flowers, they bloom againPlease stay where you are and wait for mePlease wait for me----Brushes and oil paint is all Keith has known throughout his life. So when an art critic not only labels his paintings as dull but, brands him as an orphaned depressed artist, he lashes out.  So, Keith moves to a faraway island for some peace and inspiration. But once he meets a sweet caring chef, a nerdy obsessed tech and a snarky “rival” who smells like flowers, he gets more than what he’s bargained for.





	winter comes even in august

The blazing heat was overwhelming and Keith shouldn’t be sweating this much already. His black t-shirt clung to his body in a nasty way and his black hair was plastered to his neck. Dammit, he should’ve cut his hair before coming here. With another huff, he continued to walk through the empty road, dragging his luggage behind him. The sun shone high and mighty above him and whereas back at home he would’ve loved a sunny day, this was just a living nightmare.

“What island…” He panted, “…Has a fucking airport but no taxi’s in sight?” His luggage wasn’t even that heavy but the heat and his sour mood were not helping. Keith continued to look around. The only visible things were the road ahead and trees of all shapes and sizes everywhere. Cicadas could be heard throughout the gigantic foliage along with other insects he wasn’t fond of.

Sure coming to a fucking island would help him clear his head. He would’ve punched his past self for making such an impulsive decision. But well, Keith wasn’t known for having the most logical thinking throughout his life. The memory of the incident back at Altea Art Museum only served as a reminder as of why he had decided to come here after all. ‘ _Trust me kid you’re going to like it there’_ Thace had assured him, but at the moment Keith couldn’t feel anything besides irritation.

He continued his long walk, occasionally looking around for any signs of life besides insects, but luck was not on his side. Everything continued to look the same in his eyes. The road going a long way and a different set of trees and bushes would flood the whole road. Keith felt like he was on some sort of grassy tunnel and the only exit was the bright blue sky.

Beads of sweat rolled around his body. With another huff he pulled to a stop and finally rested for a bit. His legs were sore from all the walking; surely he was already ten kilometers away from the airport. Turning his head, he inspected the way he had come from, but nothing was different in the least.

“I believe in you Keith, patience yields focus” He mocked Shiro’s usual catchphrase to him, before sighing again. It had been only a few hours since he had hopped on in that plane to come here and he already felt annoyed by it all. Looking up at the sky he felt a small scowl in his face. Maybe it had been a mistake after all; Shiro had already warned him that he was being rash with this. He was taking the long way out of the mess back at home. But, Thace had supported him. And he wanted this, or well at least he really wanted this a few hours ago. Maybe everything would be easier if he apologized-

The loud screeching of tires snapped him out of his thoughts, and he turned just in time to see a brown pick-up truck heading right at him. With a startled yell, Keith jumped out of the road and onto the foliage just as the truck stopped right on it’s tracks, almost toppling over. Heart pounding, he stood up from his spot and made way towards the road.

“Oh man! I’m so sorry!” A guy somewhere around his twenties got out of the truck and immediately went over towards him “Are you okay?! Did you break anything?!” The boy was a head taller than him, with brown skin and what seemed to be a yellow bandana wrapped around his head. The guy was all over him, checking for any bruises and cuts around his face.

“No, I’m fine don’t worry about it” Keith dusted off his jeans and just picked up the rest of his luggage from the floor. 

“No way, I almost ran you over!” The boy was in front of him again.

“Really it’s no problem” He puffed out a breath in annoyance. Did this guy not know anything about personal space? Eyes widening, he mentally scolded himself; he needed to control his temper “I was walking in the road so it’s also my fault”

“No, no, no, I am at fault here” The boy insisted, then he looked down towards his luggage “Wait, why were you walking on the road in the first place?”

“Um there wasn’t a taxi at the airport, so I decided to walk?” It ended sound a lot more like a question than a statement “I mean I needed to get into town, but there wasn’t any way to get there, so…” Keith brushed his hair aside once more. The sun was coming even harsher than before and he felt like burning.

“You walked all the way from the airport?!” The stranger shrieked in astonishment. He only gave him a blank stare and before Keith knew it the guy was taking his luggage and pilling it up in his truck.

“Wait! What the f-! What are you doing?” He tried to retrieve it but the guy wouldn’t budge. He tried pushing him back but the guy just kept going as if he weighted nothing to him.

“I’m taking you to the town! Don’t worry about it man!” Hunk grinned back at him as he easily finished with his luggage. Keith just stared back at him for a few moments “It’s an apology for almost running you over, well that and I’ll give you a couple of muffins later”

The guy easily hopped over to his truck once more and turned on the engine. It worked fine but Keith was still staring at his luggage with mild worry. As if sensing his worry the stranger walked back towards him and stretched out his hand, a huge smile over his face.

“I’m Tsuyoshi Garett, but most of my friends call me Hunk” He commented with slight embarrassment “I can drive you to the town! Although it’s been ages since we had a tourist coming over to the island”

“Uh right” Keith nodded still looking at his luggage. A worried feeling washed over but then he looked over at Hunk. The guy looked like he wouldn’t harm a fly. He extended his hand and said, “I’m Keith, Keith Kogane and I moved here”

“Woah! Okay I know who you are!” Hunk grabbed his hand and shook it with a lot of enthusiasm “You’ve been the talk of everyone in town! No one has moved in here for years!” He laughed out loud, startling Keith quite a bit. He let go and patted his car in an energetic manner and said: “Well then, hop on! I’ll drive you to your house!”

Keith nodded numbly and sent one last look to his belongings, cringing a bit for what may happen to them. But the kind stranger was offering him a lift (he also was way too stubborn to admit he was more than happy to stop walking). He walked to the other side of the truck and settled in the co-pilot seat. Hunk followed suit and without further ado, he started driving once more.

Trees and palms continued to pass by and Keith could finally admire the beautiful scenery around him. He took a quick look around Hunk’s car; it was pretty neat, with a set of bracelets and conch shells decorating the front. There were a series of photos all pasted around the roof of his truck. One with what seemed to be his parents and him, another of him at the beach and many more. But the one that caught his attention was one of him carrying a lanky boy and a girl over his shoulders.

“So what made you move in here all of a sudden?” Hunk asked him. He didn’t take the eyes off the road, even though it was completely deserted. A second passed and he looked from interested to worried “I mean! You don’t have to tell me if it’s private or anything!”

Keith chuckled a bit, even startling himself a bit. He leaned back in the seat of the car, focusing entirely on the green foliage surrounding them.

“I wanted a change of pace I guess” He commented, not wanting to divulge further into the topic. He turned back to Hunk, “Thought it would be good for me.”

“Oh man okay, thought I had offended you for a second sorry” He grinned again before adding, “Well this island is peace and tranquility if that’s what you’re looking for. Many of the people living here are usually elders and well as you saw the airport is way too far for us haha! Well that and not many destinations to go to from here anyway”

Hunk continued his rant about the island and all of its features. Apparently the town roughly consisted of around 200 people or less, they only had three convenience stores, one school and of course only one airport. The bus was the only way of transportation if you didn’t own a car and well of course walking was another option. Now Keith understood why his father figure loved the island so much.

‘ _Kiddo you’ll find what you’re looking for_ ’ Thace said before he boarded the plane to the island. He continued listening to Hunk, but got lost between the greenery all around him. That was until the trees disappeared completely as the road continued. Keith looked to his right and the sea greeted him. The sun was glistening over the surface as the waves rolled in by the beach. He was in awe as the sea stretched on and on, no other land in the horizon.

“Oh the sea is beautiful trust me” Hunk chuckled “My best friend and I come here all the time during summer. Oh and you should stick around for the festivals! There are a thousand of stalls pilling up next to the beach with all kinds of foods, it’s seriously amazing!”

“It’s pretty lively if only 200 people live in here” Keith turned back to him. The road continued and he could barely start making out a small hill and a couple of houses spread around it.

“Well as you said there’s only 200 people, we make do with what we have.” He laughed as he speed up a bit, startling Keith. They continued driving and the closer they got, Keith could finally make out the small town. Passing by one post mail the road continued, and trees and bushes appeared once more enveloping the whole town in a beautiful sea of green.

Each house they passed had their own field, either filled to the brim with flowers or with their own crops. Keith was really amazed by it all. Some townsfolk noticed them and without a question started waving at them. Hunk didn’t hesitate and started to greet each one by their names. Keith on the other hand only leaned further back in his seat.

“Keith! Look that’s my house!” Hunk pointed at one of the houses by the left side of the road. He looked up a bit noticing the small space and a small restaurant beside it “My family runs a restaurant, so whenever you’re hungry just stop by!” Keith nodded and continued to look at the scenery in front of him. Hunk continued to ramble mostly about his restaurant and Keith only managed to listen a bit from all the information he was giving him.

Hunk was the main chef at his family restaurant; his father mostly managed the bills and worked as the cashier, while his mother worked as a waitress. They served all sorts of foods but specialized in seafood and they were known for their famous smoothies. He was smiling so hard as he continued to drive and Keith smiled in response as well.

“Once its mango season come down and I’ll treat to one smoothie, I swear you’ll love it, it’s like the town’s favorite!” Hunk chuckled and then looked a bit embarrassed, “Sorry about my rambling of food, I get way too distracted to notice”

“I don’t mind” Keith commented and then at Hunk’s stare he adverted his eyes towards the road “I mean it’s amazing you’re so passionate about what you do.”

“Aw you’re actually a softie” Hunk laughed at the indignant look Keith gave him “No worries Keith, you’re secret’s safe with me”

Keith only groaned out loud but didn’t comment anything on it. Shiro would’ve given him a pointed look; it wasn’t the first time someone thought he looked like some tug or something. It also didn’t help his black outfit and the piercings over his ears. He grumbled into his seat until he felt the truck completely stop.

“Here we are!” Hunk announced as he turned off the engine. He quickly got out of the car and made his way to the back of the truck. Keith quickly followed after him and left the truck. The sun hit him full on and he had to cover his eyes for a second to look at the house in front of him.

The front lawn was a big mess, bushes and grass was overflowing the whole area, and some flowers were sprouting here and there, but it didn’t bother Keith in the slightest. It was nothing like he’d ever seen. It was a one-story house, made out of dark wood and a set of smooth blue roof tiles. A small set of stones climbed over the way to the entrance and a mailbox right at the front. A beautiful porch was by the front, along with a set of potted plants and a wooden hammock swing.

"How did  you know which house was it?" Keith asked in a daze.

“The only available house we have in the island is this one and well everyone already knew in which one you were going to settle in” Hunk brought him out of his stupor. The boy had already set his luggage right next to him with a grin. Keith thanked him and quickly retrieved his backpack, rummaging for the keys of the house “Man this house sure is pretty, Mr. Thace used to live here before you came”

“Really?” Keith chuckled thinking back to all of those stories Thace used to tell him about this particular island. He smiled to himself remembering him until he finally got the keys “Found them”

“Okay then, let me help you with these” Hunk grinned taking two of his carry-on bags with ease. Keith only blinked but walked towards the entrance of the house, Hunk following behind him. As they approached the house, he managed to appreciate it even more; there was a wooden slide-in door at the front and the pots were filled with flowers of different colors and shapes.

Keith stopped right in front of the house and unlocked it with ease. He opened up the door and went inside. The living room stretched out in front of them, dark wooden floor all over the house and a small hangar set right at the entrance. A small coffee table was at the center of the room along with a couple of green colored cushions. Slide-in doors connected the whole house as Keith ventured inside and Hunk followed right after him. A wooden ceiling fan was at the center of the living room, slightly moving with the breeze of the day. 

“Man, it’s even prettier from the inside” Hunk commented and Keith had to agree with him. He carefully placed his backpack by the coffee table and opened up the left slide-in door. There was an enormous kitchen right in front of him. A refrigerator, stove and sink were all perfectly lined up next to each other and he had to admit it looked pretty amazing. He could cook for shit but well he had to try anyways.

He walked inside the kitchen, the large window looking back to the small part of a forest connecting his house making it bask in a green light. Keith felt a bit more at ease now that he had gotten here. He continued to explore, finding packets of candy and bread shoved in the cabinets. Confused he began to inspect the house, founding it odd that there wasn’t a speck of dust over by the furniture.

“Hey Keith I’m gonna move the rest of your luggage to the house!” Hunk called him from the living room.

“Oh don’t worry I’ll get it” He said back and only saw Hunk waving him off as he went to retrieve the rest his bags. Keith only sighed before he continued his trek of inspecting the house. He opened up a door from the back of the kitchen, finding the laundry room. Baskets lined up from one side of the wall and by the right corner there was a washing machine along with a dryer and a door that connected to the backyard of the house. The left corner of the laundry room was filled with a broom, mop, shovel, fishing rod and all sorts of tools. He took a peek through the window, noticing a two posts sitting there along with a thread connecting the two of them. He figured it could help him dry his clothes.

Keith moved back, wanting to take a look at the next room, already taking a broom with him to sweep off the mess that he would soon be making. He called out to Hunk to see if he wanted some help, but the boy didn’t seem to hear him. Shrugging, Keith continued and opened the slide-in door in front of him.

Much like the living room, dark wooden floor stretched out and to compliment it a soft cream carpet spread over it. A bed was placed over by the bottom right corner of the room and next to it a medium sized bookcase, filled with magazines and all sorts of books. A wooden ceiling fan lazily turned and gave a nice cold breeze. To his right there was a wooden door, surely the one connected to the bathroom of the house.

The left wall of the room was replaced with an enormous slide-in door, similar to the one in the entrance. There was a small back porch that connected the two of them and gave a great view of the backyard along with the ocean. It was truly amazing in his eyes until he noticed a boy, comfortably sitting on said porch.

The boy had short brown hair and looked around his age was leaning back on his two hands, looking out at the ocean. The stranger was wearing a short-sleeved white shirt along with blue jeans. He was listening to music through his earplugs and surely he hadn’t heard of any of them coming in at all. He looked fairly familiar to the boy in Hunk’s photograph. Keith stayed silent, watching the guy with confusion and a bit of irritation. What was his deal?

The stranger in turn only continued to look out at the ocean. He seemed to be dangling his legs by the edge of the porch, his head lolling from one side to the other. A few ticks in silence pass by and honestly Keith was getting a bit annoyed. He glanced back at the entrance door hoping Hunk would appear out of nowhere and maybe explain what was going on. But no such thing happens.

His gaze shifts back onto the boy a few feet away from him. The sunlight is gleaming over his bronze skin, small freckles adorning his back and arms all over. Keith scolds himself with a _focus moron_ , before clearing his throat.

The reaction doesn’t come. _Of course, he can’t hear you idiot_ , Keith scolded himself and sighs. He debates between going for Hunk or just go up and talk to the guy. But social interaction wasn’t exactly his strong fort and he didn’t want to risk something here. He blinks and then turns to the stranger. No! This was his house and the guy was clearly trespassing his property!

With an angry huff, he marches over to the guy and taps him on the back. The guy looks up from his daze and locks eyes with him. Azure eyes look straight back at him and he feels as if he’s frozen for a second. No one utters a word and Keith starts feeling a bit awkward with the intense eye contact. But, before he could even speak up, the guy basically launches backwards. He almost slips off the back porch, but in an instant he’s back inside the bedroom and grabs the nearest weapon.

“THIEF!” He shrieks an old magazine rolled up in his hand, while he pounces right for Keith. His eyes widen a fraction, barely missing the swing of the book as he raises the broom in his hands. The two items clash in a silly manner, but the stranger takes a step back and swings at Keith once more.

“ _What the fuck?!_ ” He yells back, blocking the blow. Before he could even think it, he swings the broom back. The brown haired boy topples back to the floor thanks to the force of the blow, but he’s up in his feet once more. Keith looks at the entrance door once more and turns back just in time for the magazine to collide with his face. His back hits the wall as he angrily pushes the magazine away.

The other guy has a winning smirk over his face, as he holds a new magazine between his hands. Keith lets out a strangled noise as the stranger basically leaps at him. He manages to avoid the swing of the magazine but in a flurry of motions, they are both toppling down the floor. He pushes away the boy’s face, as the other just tries to swing the magazine at him once more.

Keith rolls around the matt, managing to get some space when the stranger grabs his right ankle and his face smashes with the floor. The broom flies through the room and out of his hands but he could care less. He grunts out in pain, his nose surely red from the impact.

“Ha! I got you!” The stranger snickers and pulls Keith towards him. In a swift motion, Keith swings his left leg, colliding straight in the guy’s cheeks. The stranger cried out in pain, now his expression turning into an angry scowl. He did the same. 

“What was that for?!”

“You’re breaking into my house what else?!” Keith replied, as the boy didn’t let go of his ankle, even going as far as dragging him across the floor “Let me go!”

“Nu-uh! You’re the thief here!” The stranger grabbed his other ankle as Keith struggled to break free from his grip. The boy dragged him closer to his body, almost on top of him. Keith on the other hand was pushing the stranger away with everything he had.

Suddenly the main door was opened. Both of them looked back and were met with Hunk’s shocked expression. None of them moved for a second, before everything went back into a mess.

“Lance what are you doing?!” Hunk cried, entering the room immediately, leaving the bags by the front porch.

“Hunk, my buddy, the light of my life!” The boy so called ‘Lance’ cried happily “This dude was breaking into the house! We have to take him to Mr. Ulaz or something!”

“Lance he’s the new resident!” His friend said with an embarrassed blush over his cheeks. The boy on top of him gave Hunk a questioning look, then turned back to Keith. His eyebrows were knitted in confusion and concentration. He then turned back to his friend, a bored look over his face.

“What, this guy?” He said in a disinterested tone that made Keith’s blood boil in a matter of seconds “I though he was going to be like a grandpa or something”

“Well I’m not, so get off me!” Keith yelled, practically snatching Lance’s hands away from him. The other boy quickly moved back, not tearing his eyes off of him. Keith stood up and dusted himself off, noticing Lance’s intense staring “What?”

“Well you might as well be with that hairstyle of yours” The boy stifled a laugh, only making Keith bristle in anger even more. Hunk was clearly trying to calm him down, but he was having none of it today. _And to think I thought he was cute, fuck this guy_ was the only thing ringing in his mind “Mullets are so not in style dude”

“And who asked your opinion?” Keith snapped back. His glare was directly right at Lance, and he felt a usual wave of anger. Lance recoiled back immediately; his tentative smile completely gone from his lips. He frowned right back at him, the light atmosphere shattered. Keith cursed at himself for not controlling his temper once more.

“Geez it was just a comment mullet-man” The lanky boy held up his hands in surrender, frown still in place. Keith didn’t comment anything else and just turned back to Hunk.

“I’m sorry about the bags, do you need help?” He asked, completely ignoring Lance’s scoff right at him. Hunk looked between the two of them, a nervous look over his face.

“No, don’t worry about it I placed them over the front porch” Hunk sent a look at Lance, who in turn only ignored him as he stood up from his place. He gave Keith a full on scowl but he didn’t even blink at his attempt.

“Can’t believe such a killjoy moved to the island now” Lance crossed his arms over his chest. He gave him another look before commenting “What, are you such a fuck-up that you were forced to come here?”

“Lance!” Hunk reprimanded him, clearly not liking the harsh tension in the house. Keith bristled at the comment, his fists clenching at his sides from the anger. He was about to take a step towards Lance, if the guy wanted to fight he was going to get it, but a memory stopped him. The sound of sirens and people gasping in horror at the Altea Art Museum flashed before his mind; Shiro forcibly pushing him away from Zarkon Daibazal as Alfor Altea tried to calm down Lotor; The blood dripping from his knuckles as he tried to lounge back at Zarkon for his comments towards him and Shiro.

Keith came back to the present looking back at Lance’s expectant face. He took in a deep breath and slowly calmed down his racing heart. No, he didn’t want to make a scene like before, but if this Lance continued to pick on his nerves, he might throw away his rehabilitation out the window.

“Wouldn’t you like to know” Was the only thing he commented, before turning away to retrieve the discarded broom. He heard the other boy scoff and quickly storm out of his house, his feet stomping all the way towards the entrance.

“This is why I get for cleaning and taking care of Mr. Thace's abandoned house.” Lance muttered under his breath, sending Keith one last scowl before leaving. A tense silence overtook the house and Keith felt a sinking feeling over his stomach. Hunk stood by the door awkwardly looking between the entrance and him. 

“Sorry about that” He said, catching Keith off guard. The taller boy looked anxiously around the room, trying to find a distraction “Lance can be a bit of a pushover sometimes, but don’t take it to heart”

“Yeah no shit” Keith answered without missing a beat. Hunk gave him another startled gaze but he actually felt bad of putting the boy at such position. He sighed before turning to him “I’m sorry, I was out of line as well. Sorry for not helping you carry my bags to the house”

“Oh don’t sweat it Keith” He gave him a genuine smile. The boy moved back to the front porch and scooped some of his bags, dropping them down over by the living room. Keith quickly followed behind, taking his belongings inside of the house. He started rummaging through his bags, finding all of his belongings inside “Well I have to run back to the restaurant, but if you need anything just come over!”

“Thank you for all of your help” Keith gave him a small smile and accompanied him to the front porch. He waved goodbye just as Hunk hopped in his truck and did the same. The engine of the car was brought to life and soon enough it was gone, driving down the road. Keith stood by the door for a couple of moments before looking back at the house.

He slowly closed the front door and went over to one specific bag, and dragged it over to the bedroom. The whole room was decorated in blue hues, the sun gleaming right over the ocean and giving it a peaceful look. Even Keith felt the tension flying away from his body as he settled right at the edge of the enormous slide-in door. A slight breeze caressed his whole face and Keith only smiled at nothing in particular.

Carefully he opened up the bag next to him and placed its contents over the floor. Oil paint and brushes fill up the bag, all of different colors and sizes. Just seeing them caused Keith to relax. But something at the back of his head screamed at him to just dump the whole materials over the ocean. His heart clenched painfully in his chest at the thought. Shiro would give him his award winning disappointed dad look and Thace was no better.

Sighing Keith brushed the bottles of paint with the tip of his fingers, and the memory of people screaming and blood dripping over the carpeted floor flashes once again. He snatched his hand away as if he was burning. Gulping down his nerves, he gave his supplies one last look before turning over to the horizon. The ocean is still there, its waves crashing over the shore and the sun glistening over by the sky. It was too soon to say, but he felt a strange peace settle over him.

**Author's Note:**

> this is basically a Barakamon AU but way more angsty and sad haha sorry about that. I was giving the idea a lot of thought and finally managed to write the first chapter and I really liked how it came out! 
> 
> ps. those waiting for "Singing Lance" i'm working on it, no worries!  
> hope you enjoyed it and have a great week!
> 
> ps2. the song lyrics are from this [cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bECdcS6_5A) of BTS "Spring Day", go watch it and cry with me!


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